DC Police Are Cool With App That Alerts Drivers to Speed Cameras

Earlier this fall Apple rejected an app called Speed Cameras Alert, which alerts users when they’re approaching a traffic camera in the District. The company said the app “contains content or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity ­that is not legal,” according to a portion of Apple’s letter to developer Charles Yeh that ran in the Washington Post.

DC’s police department was not a factor in the rejection. “The goal of our automated enforcement program is to improve roadway safety,” says police spokesperson Lieutenant Sean Conboy in an email. “Placement of cameras and the visual cues such as signage and roadway re-striping that accompany installation also contribute to drivers slowing down or being cognizant of their driving habits within enforcement areas.” And if anything, he says, “Increased knowledge about the program and camera locations contributes to safer driving.”